By Erin Free
For some reason, 2007 saw a major resurgence in the movie musical. But while the rollicking Hairspray dominated the box office, and the divine Across The Universe refigured the concept of the musical by applying Broadway techniques to celluloid and using pre-existing music to drive its plot, the far more quiet Once worked its own humble magic. Directed by Irishman John Carney – one time bass player for rock group The Frames, and the director of the low budget Irish films, November Afternoon and On The Edge (starring Cillian Murphy and Stephen Rea) – with rugged, laidback assurance, the film takes many of the staples of the musical (a boy meets girl plotline; the use of songs to drive the narrative; a gallery of sunny, warmly positive characters) and drags them into the street, reshaping them for a modern audience, and in the process creating a musical that feels utterly and unforgettably real.
The film begins with The Guy (Carney’s Frames bandmate, Glen Hansard), a busker on the streets of Dublin, belting out a stunning tune. Right from the off, writer/director Carney keys us into the fact that beauty can exist and thrive in the most mundane of places, and that it not even need to be nurtured in order to flourish. Someone that does notice The Guy, however, is fellow muso The Girl (Marketa Irglova), a Czech immigrant who instantly notices the quality of his music and heartfelt nature of his singing. They strike up a friendship, and we soon learn that The Guy – who fixes vacuum cleaners in his dad’s repair shop by day – is nursing a broken heart from a previous relationship, and that The Girl is working to support her daughter and mother. In a series of wonderful musical set pieces, the laidback Guy and the proactive Girl – who pushes him to kick-start his life again – casually sing together before working to cut a demo that The Guy hopes will get him a record deal.
Yes, it’s that simple. But don’t be fooled: Once is a richly complex film that truly lives and breathes in the quiet majesty of its fine details. At the film’s centre are Hansard and Irglova, two gorgeous performers whose on-screen chemistry is absolutely show stopping. They’re so sweet and loveable – but way too real and recognisable to ever be soppy or sentimental – that you desperately want them to find happiness. The songs, meanwhile, are just brilliant (the extraordinary “Falling Slowly” won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Song); packed with feeling and emotional resonance, their lyrics subtly underscore everything that is happening on screen and add a whole other dimension to the film.
Filled with a mix of funny and wrenching moments (The Guy’s charmingly old-school dad telling his son how much he enjoys his demo tape; The Girl using the term “hanky panky” when communicating that she doesn’t want to have sex with The Guy; The Girl’s thuggish-looking neighbours quietly entering her apartment to innocently watch TV because they can’t afford their own television; a jaded sound engineer getting slowly excited and then hugely supportive when he hears the music being recorded by The Guy and The Girl), Once is nothing short of joyous, and will literally warm your heart with its bittersweet brilliance.
